Judith Ann (J.A.) Jance is a popular and prolific American writer, who writes in the crime fiction, horror, thriller and mystery genres. She was born on 27th October 1944 in Watertown, South Dakota. She was however raised in Bisbee, Arizona. She graduated with a degree in English and Secondary Education in 1966. She also received her M. Ed in Library Science from the University of Arizona in 1970.

Before starting her writing career, Jance worked as an insurance agent, teacher, and school librarian. She knew she wanted to become a writer since her days in college. However, that dream was thwarted by her English professor who frowned upon female writers. Even her first husband, who was also a writer, dismissed her passion and desire for writing. But after he died, Jance started writing very early in the morning and raising her kids single-handedly during the day.

Anthologies/Collaborations

In 1985, Until Proven Guilty, her first book in the J.P. Beaumont series was published. She has since remarried a very supportive and wonderful man and become a very successful author with over 50 books to her name. Her most popular book series include J. P. Beaumont Mystery series and Joanna Brady Mystery series. J.P. Beaumont Mystery series has 28 books while the Joanna Brady Mystery series has 17 books. She currently lives with her husband in Tucson, Arizona and Seattle, Washington.

J.A. JANCE AWARDS:

Jance’s Trial By Fury (J.P. Beaumont series), which was released in 1986, was nominated for the 1987 Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original. Her Hour Of The Hunter (Walker Family Mysteries), which was released in 1991, was also nominated for the 1992 Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original.

She also won the American Mystery Award in 1992 and 1993 for her books – Without Due Process, and Failure to Appear respectively. Both of the books are from J.P. Beaumont series. In 2014, Jance’s fiction book – A Last Goodbye made it to the best sellers list on New York Times. In 2016, Random Acts, a title from her Ali Reynolds and Joanna Brady Series also made it to the New York best sellers list.

J.A. JANCE BOOKS:

Here is a summary of 2 books from Jance’s first series, J.P. Beaumont:

Until Proven Guilty: This is the first book in the series. J.P. Beaumont, who is known to his close friends as Beau, has worked as a homicide detective for more than 15 years. He has seen it all when it comes to homicides. However, when a five-year-old girl is found murdered, he feels upset. Angela Barstogi, who is the daughter of one of the Faith Tabernacle members, has been found with her pink-colored night gown twisted around her neck and bruises on her body. However, Pastor Michael Brodie, who is the leader of the group, will not allow any of his followers to speak with the detectives. But when Detective Beau and Ron Peters (his partner) threaten him with arrest, the little girl’s mother and other group members agree to speak with the detectives and answer their questions.

While attending Angela’s funeral, detective Beau is intrigued by the beautiful and mysterious woman in red, placing a single red rose on the girl’s coffin. Though no one at the funeral seems to know her, Beau is so charmed by her beauty that he’s compelled to speak with her. And into his life walks Anne Corley. The hunt for the girl’s killer leads Beau to the dark world of blind faith and religious fanaticism. He soon finds himself a target of twisted passion and perilous obsession.

Injustice For All: This is the second book in the series. After the events that happen in the Until Proven Guilty, Detective J.P. Beaumont, a veteran Seattle Police Department detective, goes for vacation to have some downtime. As he walks on the beach in Washington, he hears the screams of a woman – a beautiful blonde woman. At her feet, lies the body of her friend and colleague. When he goes to find out what’s happening and offer solace to the beautiful but distressed lady, he discovers that the dead man has been murdered and that the corpse and the lady are both members of the State Parole Board.

A deadly mixture of passion and politics soon turns Beaumont’s restful vacation into a nightmare, leading him into the path of a terrifying killer whose lust for blood is fast becoming an obsession.

When Does The Next J.A. Jance book come out?

J.A. Jance doesn't seem to have an upcoming book. Their newest book is Man Overboard and was released on March, 7th 2017. It is the newest book in the Ali Reynolds Series .

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